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I was having a good discussion with one of my clients the other day about whether it's possible to build muscle or increase strength when you don't have a gym full of strength-training gear at your disposal. I definitely believe this is possible, because I've done it myself.

The thing many fitness enthusiasts forget is that training isn't about completing a certain number of repetitions, or performing a list of exercises. Training is about giving your body a stimulus.

If your goal is to build muscle, you should train with a series of activities that overload your body's current muscular capabilities, thereby providing the necessary stimulus for muscular growth or hypertrophy.

It wouldn't make any sense to try to build muscle by performing slow, static stretching exercises.

These activities will make you more flexible, but aren't appropriate for developing size or strength.

When it comes to selecting which exercises are best, you must determine your starting point.

If you aren't able to perform a single full-body pushup, then this wouldn't be an appropriate exercise for you just yet. Start with a modified pushup on the edge of a bench, or by doing pushups with your knees on the floor. Remember that the goal is to overload your muscles.

To get a strength and growth stimulus you'll want to choose exercises that push your body to the point of fatigue and failure as you reach roughly six to 12 repetitions.

This is generally the range where you'll get the results you're after.

Always remember to perform a progressive warm-up before training, and get medical approval before beginning a new fitness program, especially if you have a history of joint pain or injury.

PIKE PUSHUP A WORTHWHILE EFFORT

As I mentioned before, it's possible to modify almost any body-weight exercise to get the necessary stimulus for strength and growth. I like push-ups, because they're functional and easy to perform anywhere. The problem is I can do a lot of them, so I don't really get an overload stimulus.

One way that I modify this activity is to perform pushups in a pike position. To perform the pike push-up, start in a full pushup position, with your arms fully extended supporting your upper body weight.

The closer your feet get, and the higher your hips rise, the harder it's going to be to perform a pushup.

Once you've found the appropriate position, begin performing pushups, being careful not to smack your forehead into the floor.

On your first set, try to find a body position that allows for 10 to 12 challenging repetitions. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds, then, on your second set increase the difficulty and go for eight to 10 repetitions.

Rest again, and on your third set look to reach fatigue and failure in the six to eight repetition range.

At all times you must focus on good body alignment, core stability and shoulder-blade movement to make sure your muscles are doing the work and your joints are safe.

PULL UPS BENEFIT YOUR APPEARANCE

If you're going to maintain a balanced training plan, you should always try to perform as many pulling exercises as pushing exercises.

This will develop your back musculature to improve your appearance as well as your physical health. A great back exercise is the pull up, which is easy to modify depending on your starting strength.

Follow the same guidelines as the pushup, where the goal is to perform three sets of the exercise in the range of six to 12 repetitions.

For myself this requires a wide-grip, strict full-body pull up. On my first set I'll usually get about 12 repetitions, second set eight to nine and third set six to eight.

I'll rest about 60 to 75 seconds between sets. One way to increase the strength stimulus is to pull up evenly with both arms, then slightly shift your body weight to one side and lower your body with emphasis on one arm.

Alternate arms on each lowering, or negative, repetition. Less advanced exercisers can do the same thing during a horizontal pull-up under a bar, where you have your feet on the floor during the exercise.

BODY-WEIGHT LUNGES AID THE LEGS

I still find this lunge to be one of the best body-weight exercises for over-loading the glutes and legs. Assume a static lunge position, with your core completely engaged and knees at about 90 degrees.

Hold your body firmly aligned and squeeze up and down slowly, lowering the back knee almost to the floor every time.

Only rise up about three-quarters of the way, so that you don't lock out the knees and rest at the top of the movement. Keep equal weight on both feet at all times.

Three sets of 15 repetitions on each side take a lot of energy if they're done right.

Rob Williams is a kinesiologist and posture specialist in downtown Vancouver. You can contact him by email at rob@williamshealthgroup.com.

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